Tales from #MWW16

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#MWW16, connections, friends, fun, learning, Midwest Writers' Workshop, my experiences at the conference, thoughts, writers conferences

I have returned from Muncie, Indiana and the Midwest Writers Workshop.

My notebook, holding all the info you could want from class schedule, to notes from some of the sessions, to short bios of all the faculty, and maps of the place.

This year it was held in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.

The building offered plenty of room for all the sessions and to relax and hang out with all the writers. There were lots of writers.

LOTS OF FABULOUS AWESOME WRITERS! I saw friends I had met before, came face to face with friends from the Internet I hadn’t met, and made connections with new people. I attended great sessions to help me improve my craft and listened as panels of agents, editors, and authors share their knowledge.

If you have never been to a writers conference, I highly recommend them. The first couple, you might not feel at ease, you might do a lot of sitting and watching instead of interacting. I did. This was my third time at MWW and I feel pretty happy there. Faces have become familiar, and people actually remember me. I know! I am constantly amazed by that.

Let me share. And I will link you to the Twitter accounts of some of the wonderful people I met and know. So you can follow them!

Kelsey Timmerman gave an inspiring opening speech on how we can use our writing to give voices to those who can’t tell their own tale. Through The Facing Project, writers are paired with people to learn what life is like for them and share it with the world through words.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a (Book) Baby with Karma Brown…

With the release of my book lurking in the sometime future, I wanted to hear a few words of wisdom. The debut year is crazy. Marketing. Keeping on track with writing and not getting carried away in the insanity. Look for new ways to connect with readers. There’s so much. Must. Prepare. Now.

The Agent/Author Relationship panel…

Julie Murphy (Dumplin) and Natalie Parker (Beware the Wild) with their agent Molly Jaffa of Folio Literary Management

Amy Reichert (The Coincidence of Coconut Cake) with her agent Rachel Ekstrom of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency

Summer Heacock (next year debut of A Perfect Fit) with her agent team of Uwe Stender and Brent Taylor of Triada US Literary Agency

I don’t have an agent. I have no plans, right now, of querying them, but it’s always good to hear how they relate, of how they came together.

Voice/Dialogue with Julie Murphy and Natalie Parker…

They spoke of the differences between author voice vs. story voice, of finding the best POV for your character, of choosing the perfect words for your characters to give them a unique, memorable, and interesting voice. And dialogue, so important! How simple spoken words can mean so much and how it’s not just what they say but how they say it. I like these two so much, I went bought their books at the book store.

Friday night there was bowling and pizza and a photo booth…while I did not bowl, I did enjoy pizza and had a great time with friends in the photo booth.

I haven’t laughed so hard! So ends Friday…

Onto Saturday!

Buttonhole the Experts… the strangest sounding, but becoming one of my favorite things.

I’m sorry…Buttonwhat? Right?

They had 33 tables occupied with a faculty member, each with a sigh designating their topic for discussion. So many topics! You sit at a table with five others and ask questions based on their declared subject. After 20 minutes, a bell sounds and you find another table. Kinda stressful, but it always works.

I talked to Sarah J. Schmitt (It’s a Wonderful Death) about library and school visits, because I am interested in getting into that.

Agent Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management answered questions about the YA market. If I ever get a horror YA or MG written, he might just get it.

Natalie Parker spoke about to compete with your author friends and keep them as friends. She was even cooler talking to her this time. She liked my mermaid hair…

Panel: Critique Partners: Where to Find Them and How to Use Them with Amy Reichert, Jen Malone (Wanderlost), Dee Romito (The BFF Bucket List), and Summer Heacock

I have critique partners (actually I gained another while I was there!) so maybe the info was stuff I already knew, but these ladies are really fun to listen to.

Marketing Your Book Outside the Box with Jen Malone

With the fact that I will be published comes the fact that I will need to market, so any info here helps! Form connections. Focus on a couple things and not everything, and how to choose which events to choose. Find some unexpected way to get the word out about your book.

How to Edit a Bestseller with Liz Pelletier of Entangled Publishing

OMG…she packed so much info in that hour, people were taking pics of the power point presentation because there wasn’t enough time to write it all down. I’m not going to even try here.

Word by Word: What Your First Line Says About Your Book with Julie Murphy and Natalie Parker

(Yup. I got a little obsessed with these two. I hope they didn’t find my stalking creepy.) First lines are important, so much can be conveyed with a sentence of three carefully chosen words. World building. Character development. All in one line. People offered their first lines and we dissected them…well, not me. I am not brave.

The conference ended with a banquet and the keynote speaker Julie Murphy who spoke of finding herself mirrored in fiction and how happy that made her. That while the world has lost its mind, how people have forgotten how to be people, that we should be better and do better. That maybe our words will find that reader who will relate and smile because of it. She was spectacular. I will happily stalk her.

There were sessions on writing middle grade, taxes, NaNoWriMo, writing contemporary, writing inspiration, setting up speaking engagements, Scrivener, crime writing, and so much more.

Now I’m home, my brain spinning with all the ideas I gathered from the conference. I am prepared to rock the wording!

To:

Rena (The Girl Before…READ IT! IT COMES OUT AUGUST 9!)

Shelly

Marjorie

Thanks for sharing some laughs with me and being awesome conference buddies.

To:

Brett

Meeting you in person was a highlight. Can’t wait to watch you as you find your place in this world. It will be spectacular.

To:

Summer

Sarah

Gail

As always…so great to spend time with you! You always make me smile.

To:

Julie Murphy and Natalie Parker

To:

Karma Brown, for coming up to me and saying…”Kathy, you’re Kathy Palm! I know you on Twitter.” Dude. I nearly fell out of my chair.

Last to:

Jama Kehoe Bigger and the Midwest Writers

Thanks for all you do to bring all us crazy people together.

Until next year!

 

#MWW16

Tags

#MWW16, being a better writer, conferences, fun, hanging out with writer friends, learning, Midwest Writers' Workshop, Muncie Indiana, writing workshops

And everyone stares at the screen funny…WHAT IS #MWW16?

The Midwest Writers Workshop begins today! Many people are in classes called intensives RIGHT NOW! But not me… However, I will be headed there shortly, as soon as I get my stuff together.

A weekend of hanging out with writer friends! Some I know from Twitter and will be meeting for the first time, others I have met before and will be happy to be in their fabulous presence.

There will be visiting and fun and classes to help with being a writer, some focusing on craft, others on the business side of being an author, and others panels of agents, of editors, of published authors ready to share their wisdom!

This will be my third year. The first time was a bit overwhelming. I left wondering what I was doing and if I could even get published…or if I should be writing. There was so much information. Of course that was panic and fear invading my brain. Because I’m still playing the wording game and doing okay. There will be no panic and fear this time, just listening, just chatting with other writers, just taking what I need to help me be a better writer, be better equipped to deal with all the fun ups and downs that come with my chosen life with stories forever in my head.

Look for #MWW16 on Twitter. It’s trending right now! You’ll see me and tons of others sharing the fun. Maybe next year you can come to Muncie, Indiana and join us!

So that’s where I’ll be until Sunday.

Well, if I ever get going… on that I’ll scurry off and get packed and showered and drive the two hours to #MWW16!

The Joy of Writers’ Conferences

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books, connecting, Lakefly Writers Conference, learning, meeting new people, Midwest Writers' Workshop, thoughts, Twitter friends in person, Writing sessions

Last weekend I drove up to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend the Lakefly Writers’ conference.

I chose to go for a few reasons. First… it’s a writers conference. I’ve learned something new at every one I’ve attended. The sessions included authors speaking about world-building, which is kinda my thing, marketing, which isn’t my thing, and character development.

Second, they’re great places to talk words and books with people who love them as much as I do. These events offer chances to meet new people and more writing friends is always good.

Third, a few people from my publisher were going to be there: the founder of Reuts and cover designer Ashley, my editor Kisa, and fellow Reuts’ author Susan. Passing up the chance to meet these wonderful people (who I think of as friends) would be silly considering how close Oshkosh is.

So off I went for a six and a half hour drive, through Chicago, which was CRAZY! Just me, myself, and I with my music and snacks. SO MANY SNACKS.

I had a wonderful time. The conference is young, this was it’s fourth year, but the woman who ran it (Ruth Percey) was fabulous. She took care of everything and everyone, making sure all was fun and running smoothly…and even remembered my name by the end.

Compared to other conferences, this one was small, but that is not a bad thing. The sessions allowed for one on one conversations, for people to really connect. I talked to two authors (Valerie Biel and K.W. Penndorf, two of the presenters) for a while at the book fair, after buying myself a book and getting it signed. I also picked up a few Reuts’ titles that I didn’t own, because I needed them.

BOOKS!!!

And I had the best time hanging out with Twitter friends face to face, instead of screen to screen. I will be working with Ashley and Kisa, so it helps to have talked to them, get to know them.

And let them get to know me and all my weirdness in person. I hope I didn’t scare anyone, well, not too much anyway.

“Live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am strange and unusual.”

What a great weekend! Meeting Twitter friends being my favorite part.

All writers, go forth into the world and find a conference near you. Big or small, doesn’t matter. Finding people who share in your love of words, who are willing to talk about everything writing is priceless.

For me? Onto Midwest Writers Workshop in Muncie, Indiana in July!

What a Difference a Year Can Make… #MWW15

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a difference a year can make, conferences, Midwest Writers' Workshop, Twitter friends

Today is Monday. I think.

School starts tomorrow. Huh?

We had a great time on vacation and have returned. I ran around like a crazy person setting normal life (or whatever life) back in order.

Maybe.

And now I will blog. Stay with me. I might not make sense.

Before vacationing in the GORGEOUS Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s UP… I went to The Midwest Writers Workshop in the fabulous Muncie, Indiana. And this is what I want to attempt to focus on.

I went to MWW last year. And my brain suffered severe overload. I panicked. I doubted my place in the world of writing. I now know to call it Imposter Syndrome. But… I continued to write, to put myself and my words out into the great universe.

What a difference a year can make.

Last year the agents made me want to run and hide. This year not so much. I spoke to a couple of them and did not spontaneously combust. I know! Last year I went hoping to learn the secret to querying, to standing out, to find the magic words to become what I dreamed… published. This year I went to learn what I could about marketing…

And to have SO MUCH FUN!

Last year I knew two people, who I met on Twitter. This year the list of people I knew was slightly bigger. Okay, lots bigger. To have people approach me and say, “I know you!” really confused me. People who were happy to meet me! People I was happy to meet! And the Universe did not implode. As far as I know.

My confidence in my writing has grown. The road to publication is twisty and weird and full of holes, but I fought my way through. Once the decision is made, once you know what you want and how you want to get there, the pressure releases. I’m not looking for an agent, so less stress. And maybe the whole signing with a publisher thing helped. Maybe.

Of course, my confidence still needs a bit of help. When the time came to announce good news of last year, did I offer up mine? Nope. Mistake? Probably. But one step at a time.

I talked to people. I sat at agent and editor panels and listened to questions and found that I had answers to them in my head, answers I was happy with. So maybe I know stuff now. Or at least think I do, which is just as good.

The conference lacked in a couple of areas. At the Path to Publishing panel, I was sorry to see no representation of self-pubbed authors or small presses. I did talk to someone about it, so we’ll see if anything happens. But these are legit paths that should be discussed, so new authors can see all options clearly and get help in finding the correct way to do them.

Overall, I enjoyed my time. Learning about…

Sex in YA

The difference between YA and MG

Tag lines and blurbs

Marketing

How to handle being a debut author

The editing process (which I will get to drown in soon)

Janet Reid, the fabulous agent, is not a shark and is hilarious.

The main theme running through every session… Write. And when you do, stay true to yourself, to your characters, and to your story. Everything else is noise. Don’t let the world invade when self-doubt causes cracks in your vision. And write.

Mostly I hung out with my friend Rena. If you don’t know her on Twitter, go find her. She’s fabulous. I followed my soon-to-be famous friend around because… I am her minion.

We became the dynamic duo. Just being with her at the conference made life brilliantly shiny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I will certainly fail and miss people, I want to shout out to my Twitter friends I met in real life. They exist!

Shelly (who I will see again because we live kinda close and I have her ms! MWAHAHAHA), Jessica (who has fabulous pink hair and told me how to pronounce her last name and I still can’t do it) Ashley (a firecracker), Erica (who made me business cards at the last minute like a boss and we are bonded through unicorns) Liz (who cracks everyone up), Summer (what a gem and rocked the Marauders Map dress), Jenny (roomie and fellow 2016er), Nicole (purple hair!), Julie (who we met last year, but she cut her hair so I didn’t recognize her), Gail (who grew up in the small town where I live now) Sarah (she has her eye on Rena O.O), Kate (who might think I’m crazy)

To all of you!

Anyway, this year I didn’t leave feeling like I had been hit by a train. I didn’t leave wondering how in the world I fit into this crazy writing world. I left with a smile and a bit more knowledge. I left thinking that maybe I have a chance at being one of these cool people.

Hanging out with those who do what you do, who speak your language, who suffer from the same frustrations, who have traveled through the same darkness, and who have found the same light can mean everything.

I love being surrounded by writers.

When writers unite magic happens.

Until next year!

Midwest Writers Workshop!!!!!!

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conferences, learning, marketing, Midwest Writers' Workshop, networking, writers workshops, writing

Hi all!

I am on my way to Muncie, Indiana for the Midwest Writers Workshop… #MWW15!!!

If you remember last year, I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. So many people. So many authors, some published, some agented, some still hopeful. All the information… queries, synopsis, marketing, writing good characters, plot structures…

How would I ever fit into this world of publishing? HOW? I should just quit! What am I doing? Poor Past-me…

Since then, I had two storied published in an anthology and signed with a publisher (the best publisher EVER) with my YA fantasy DOORS!

So, this year I return a little more prepared for what I will encounter, for all the information to be crammed into my brain. And will listen with extra special care to all the marketing information.

AND TO HAVE A SUPER-DUPER TIME MEETING TONS OF FRIENDS I HAVE MADE ON TWITTER! The cool kids are allowing me to hang out with them! Me!

Writers conferences are fabulous. And as I wander further into the world of publishing I will do my best to put myself out there- as scary as that it. Luckily, authors are a marvelous group of people. I am proud to be counted as one of them… part of the crew, part of the ship.

That was a little creepy… anyway, have a fabulous weekend! I will!

Axis of Awesome

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awesomeness, change the world, growing, Kelsey Timmerman, learning, Midwest Writers' Workshop, thoughts

At the Midwest Writers’ Workshop (MWW), I accumulated information from authors, from agents, from everywhere. I enjoyed the speakers. I enjoyed the lessons, workshops, sessions (honestly I have no idea what to call the hours spent soaking in all the words).

My friends Rena Olsen and Jamie Adams have been discussing the experience on their blogs. Go visit. They have lots of wisdom to share.

http://renaolsen.com/

http://jamieadamswriting.wordpress.com/

Anyway… The Saturday morning schedule read “Buttonhole the Experts”. Huh?

Well, groups of six people could sit at tables with an agent, author, or generally smart person and ask any questions that popped in their heads. Ummm… my immediate reaction was “no way”. The thought of not being able to hide in a crowd scared the bejeezus out of me, but we went. Weren’t we brave?

*graciously accepts your praise* Thank you.

So there we were, staring at tables where pretty cool people would soon sit, ready to talk to us about various subjects. As we all know, I am not cool, so I fought back the panic. Jamie studied the layout and devised a plan, where to start and our path through the tables. She’s very good. I sat. I listened. I did not freak out, throw up, or sweat profusely. Yea! Well, turns out all the experts were nice, normal people, who do want to help.

Oh my gosh, possibly I am turning into a grown-up.

Nah.

For now, I want to focus on one topic. Kelsey Timmerman (follow him on Twitter @KelseyTimmerman and visit his blog http://whereamiwearing.com/) talked about finding your axis of awesome. We had no idea what that meant, but, hey, the table fit into our overall plan and who doesn’t want to sit at a table labeled awesome.

WELL, IT WAS AWESOME.

First, list your skills.

Second, list your passions.

Third, list your challenges, your obstacles.

Now, weave them together, find a path leading from one to the other. Let your passions guide you. Let the challenges of life teach you. Finally, link them to your skills and BAM! That is your axis of awesome. Use it wisely. For with it you can change the world. So I can write… some days. I am passionate about kids, about teens being able to grow up without judgement, without being told how to live, what to do. I have faced depression and wandered into the wide world without a clue. I can take each part and, like clay, mold it into, well, awesomeness. I can help teens. By writing fiction? Maybe. Or maybe as I let all this simmer in my brain, I will discover a bigger and better solution in the future.

When skill collides with what we love, fabulousness will be the result.

Let your awesome shine!

After the Craziness… Midwest Writers’ Workshop

Tags

agents, Midwest Writers' Workshop, self doubt, thoguhts, writing

I survived my first writers’ conference.

Last Thursday I drove to Muncie, where I met up with two Twitter friends Rena @originallyrena and Jamie @Jamie_Adams22, and attended class after class after class. Wow!

I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea how I would react. And my reaction was not what I ever would have guessed.

Let me begin by explaining… I did not sign up for a query or manuscript critique or to pitch to an agent. I was looking for a low stress experience. The agents were great. They weren’t set before us and then whisked away under heavy guard, but mingled among us, ate with us, chatted. Seriously, did those brave souls feel at all like prey? When an agent asked to sit at our table after dinner one night, we nearly fell out of our chairs. The faculty was amazing, always willing to talk, to share what they know. Our knowledgeable teachers burst with insights and facts.

By the end of Friday, my head buzzed.

By the end of Friday, I wondered what the heck I thought I was doing mingling with all the cool. I am not cool.

By the end of Friday, the amount of talent in the room made me want to curl up in a corner. Listening to the agents, I suddenly realized they would never want to represent me. I slipped further into a dark place the more words of wisdom shuffled into my head.

This was the last thing I expected. Granted I had no clue how I would react. I hoped for more of a “Yea for all the info! I can do anything! I am ready to write!” But sadly, no. I was overwhelmed. I was intimidated.

I questioned the very idea that I could be a writer.

Weird. I know. And my dear friends jumped to my side telling my I was crazy. I was a writer.

I am a writer.

One of a writers’ constant companions is self-doubt. Tucked away in my living room cut off from the world, I shove the doubt in a dark corner, but faced with the plethora of writers out there in the real world…

ALL looking for that agent…

ALL looking for that book deal…

ALL hoping and wishing and having SO MUCH TALENT…

The demons hiding in the shadows of my mind jumped into the light, waving their twisted limbs and flashing evil grins.

I listened to every piece of wisdom. I talked to other writers (yes, people I didn’t know!). I had a good time. I learned writerly stuff. I was lucky to get to hang out with my Twitter buddies and get to know them better.

I arrived home with my mind spinning and my little friend self-doubt sitting on my shoulder. But I don’t have time for him and all his depressing talk.

I have blogs to do, tours and a review. I have two stories to edit for Reuts. I have a manuscript to revise ONE LAST TIME before pitchwars and sending it off into the world. I have a story to write for the PEN and MUSE blog for their haunted house collection. Ahem… Sign up for that it sounds SO FUN! I am waiting to hear about a short I sent off months ago. I am waiting to hear about a ms.

So self-doubt… GO AWAY!

I am a writer. Without the words I would be nothing.

Anyone else, dear readers, who have had a strange reaction to things like writers’ conferences? Or is it just me?

FYI- I have begun to reread HP to make myself feel better. And there is chocolate.

 

Midwest Writers’ Workshop

Tags

fear, friends, live, Midwest Writers' Workshop, new experiences, smile, thoughts

I am driving to Muncie, IN today to attend my first writers’ conference.

OHMYGOLLYGOSHWHATAMIDOING… THEREWILLBEPEOPLETHERE… IMIGHTHAVETOTALKTOPEOPLE! I am packing PANTS, dear readers, PANTS.

So with visitors and vacation, I pushed the thought of the conference to the back of my mind, but yesterday it hit me. I was going, venturing out into the unknown. The unknown is scary, pretty sure monsters lurk there. *mixes up monster spray*

Stepping off the comfortable life-path makes my mind scream “NOOOOOO!”. Seriously, I am considering hiding in a closet. But I will not be alone. Not only will there be a bajillion writers there all wishing they could curl up in a quiet corner and read a book, but I am lucky enough to get to share the days with two fabulous Twitter-writer friends Rena Olsen and Jamie Adams. Together we will be awesome.

Taking the leap into the shadows gives me hope that when one of my manuscripts is accepted for publication, I will not freak out (completely), but will be able to stride semi-comfortably into the world of publishing.

I suppose that’s what life is, from when we take our first steps to when we reach for who we want to be, for what we want for ourselves. I will face my fears, reach for my dreams, and mature… a bit, but I promise to never grow-up. I will keep my eyes open to watch for the magic in each and every phase of life. Over the next few days, I will giggle and laugh, smile and stay out of the shadows, no matter how uncomfortable, how nervous I am. When I return, I will share what I find. Now back to laundry, packing, and generally freaking out.

When it’s difficult to find that happy, dear friends, I hope my shaky grin will lift you up. We’re in this together, whatever we do with all our insecurities. Writing. Parenthood. Relationships. Learning.

Living.

So live.